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Teacher Burnout

© Deborah Jeter

Here I am, a teacher experiencing burnout, and you're telling me that I need to get involved?! I thought that was WHY I was burned out -- because I'm too involved!

When I began researching teacher burnout, and ran across the information that an element of burnout is often caused by isolation, it really surprised me. The way that I've dealt with burnout episodes over the last twenty years is to duck and run for cover. I've quit teaching twice and worked as a news photographer and once as a flight attendant. But I've always returned to teaching, realizing that my life was more meaningful in this line of work.

It does seem though, that teachers are exceptionally high-risk in regards to job burnout, AND music teachers which have one of the more stressful positions are even more prone to burnout. How do we survive?

Read on.

John Hylton, an associate professor of music at the University of Missouri, states this: "Teaching, especially music teaching, is a highly stressful profession. Stress can become a problem as music educators move into the middle stages of their careers because the frustrations inherent in music teaching, such as the variety of roles that music teachers are expected to fill, the pressures of public performance and public accountability, and the need to recruit and motivate students to accept responsibilites associated with membership in an ensemble, have a cumulative effect."

He goes on to say that "stress is necessary for life. But when the stresses of music teaching produce the same response, repeatedly over a period of time, without an outlet, the result is physically and emotionally damaging. There are three predominant categories that burned out teachers fall and they are:

Early Retirement

Serious Illness which causes them to have to leave their positions

and Diminished enthusiasm and lack of vitality, yet they keep pounding away at the job."

In another discussion on teacher burnout, someone said, "Sign on with your professional organization. Believe it or not, they need you and the involvement will help you feel less isolated. You will begin to feel the vitality and enthusiasm once more when you have a support group that has the same interests and job-related problems that you have."

Mr. Hylton offers some solid advice and solutions.

One key to coping with stress is appropriate management of time. Time management is essential in a music teacher's work.

Here are some Tips

1. Review your objectives.

2. Plan ahead.

3. Set priorities.